Creating and Disseminating of User Generated Content Over a Network

ABSTRACT

Disclosed herein are methods and systems for creating and disseminating of audio and video content generated by a user over a network. In one aspect of the present disclosure, a request to create audio content over a network is received. In another aspect of the present disclosure a request to create multimedia content comprising audio and video content over a network is received. One embodiment includes presenting the user with a plurality of compositions, receiving a request from the user to add a specific composition, presenting a lyric using text submitted by the user, recording an audio recording generated by the user, wherein the specific composition is playing during the recording of the audio recording, and providing editing capability to the specific composition, the song lyric and audio recording.

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/248,687 filed on Jan. 15, 2019, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 12/953,350 filed on Nov. 23, 2010, andclaims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/364,500entitled, “CREATING AND DISSEMINATING OF USER GENERATED MEDIA OVER ANETWORK AND FOR COLLABORATION,” which was filed on Jul. 15, 2010, thecontents of which are expressly incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

Traditional models of creating and publishing music involve a soundstudio where individuals, artists, or groups record musical works. Theprocess of creating music can involve recording the song and thenediting and/or mixing the song to achieve a desired result orsimultaneous recording and mixing/editing on the fly. Individual tracksof instruments, vocals, sound effects, beats, sections from otherpre-recorded productions, etc. are often synchronized to produce anideal result. The intricacies of music production and the technologybehind it innately create immense difficulty and challenges to aspiringartists, musicians, and songwriters. For instance, artists must expressthemselves in the confines of an established recording studio. As aresult, the timing of the recording session, the location andenvironment of the recording studio must be conducive to the artist'screativity. Moreover, traveling to an established studio often entailseffort, expense, and lost time, all of which may be unfavorable for thedevelopment of a burgeoning artist. The lack of technical expertise isalso an obstacle which may impede the aspects of audio and videocreation.

Overall, the examples herein of some prior or related systems and theirassociated limitations are intended to be illustrative and notexclusive. Other limitations of existing or prior systems will becomeapparent to those of skill in the art upon reading the followingDetailed Description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

These and other objects, features and characteristics of the presentinvention will become more apparent to those skilled in the art from astudy of the following detailed description in conjunction with theappended claims and drawings, all of which form a part of thisspecification. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of client devices coupled to oneanother and server-side devices to facilitate generation of audio andvideo content over a network.

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of a system of at least one serverdevice on the server-side to facilitate generation of audio and videocontent over a network. The at least one server 200 on the server-side120 includes a user content.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example user interface of a listing ofpre-recorded audio

FIG. 4 illustrates an example user interface of a listing ofpre-recorded compositions.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example user interface playing a composition.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example user interface to query a user to enterlyrics.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example user interface to query a user to enterkeywords to automatically generate lyrics.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example user interface having an audio/multimediaplayer/recorder capable of recording an audio recording.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example user interface having an audio/multimediaplayer/recorder capable of recording, playing, editing, and saving of anaudio recording.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example user interface having an audio/multimediaplayer/recorder capable of processing an audio recording.

FIG. 11 illustrates an example user interface having an audio/multimediaplayer/recorder capable of recording an additional audio recording.

FIG. 12 illustrates an example user interface having an audio/multimediaplayer/recorder capable of recording, playing, editing, and saving anadditional audio recording.

FIG. 13 illustrates an example user interface having an audio/multimediaplayer/recorder in full-screen mode.

FIG. 14 illustrates an example user interface having an audio/multimediaplayer/recorder to query the user in regards to publishing the audiocontent.

FIG. 15 illustrates an example user interface having an audio/multimediaplayer/recorder to provide aural playback of a composition.

FIG. 16 illustrates an example user interface listing of pre-recordedaudio content.

FIG. 17 illustrates an example user interface having a videorecorder/player for recording a video recording.

FIG. 18 illustrates an example user interface for editing and/orapplying an imaging effect to a video recording.

FIG. 19 illustrates the queuing process for a video content inpreparation for publishing over the network.

FIG. 20 illustrates an example user interface for the process of chromakey compositing for a video recording.

FIG. 21 depicts a flow diagram illustrating an example process ofenabling a user to generate audio content over a network.

FIG. 22 depicts a flow diagram illustrating an example process ofenabling a user to generate audio and video content over a network.

FIG. 23 shows a diagrammatic representation of a machine in the exampleform of a computer system.

The headings provided herein are for convenience only and do notnecessarily affect the scope or meaning of the claimed invention.

In the drawings, the same reference numbers and any acronyms identifyelements or acts with the same or similar structure or functionality forease of understanding and convenience. To easily identify the discussionof any particular element or act, the most significant digit or digitsin a reference number refer to the Figure number in which that elementis first introduced (e.g., element 204 is first introduced and discussedwith respect to FIG. 2).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following description and drawings are illustrative and are not tobe construed as limiting. Numerous specific details are described toprovide a thorough understanding of the disclosure. However, in certaininstances, well-known or conventional details are not described in orderto avoid obscuring the description. References to one or an embodimentin the present disclosure can be, but are not necessarily, references tothe same embodiment and such references mean at least one of theembodiments.

Reference in this specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment”means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic describedin connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodimentof the disclosure. The appearances of the phrase, “in one embodiment” invarious places in the specification are not necessarily all referring tothe same embodiment, nor are separate or alternative embodimentsmutually exclusive of other embodiments. Moreover, various features aredescribed which may be exhibited by some embodiments and not by others.Similarly, various requirements are described which may be requirementsfor some embodiments but not other embodiments.

The terms used in this specification generally have their ordinarymeanings in the art, within the context of the disclosure, and in thespecific context where each term is used. Certain terms that are used todescribe the disclosure are discussed below, or elsewhere in thespecification, to provide additional guidance to the practitionerregarding the description of the disclosure. For convenience, certainterms may be highlighted, for example using italics and/or quotationmarks. The use of highlighting has no influence on the scope and meaningof a term; the scope and meaning of a term is the same, in the samecontext, whether or not it is highlighted. It will be appreciated thatsame thing can be said in more than one way.

Consequently, alternative language and synonyms may be used for anyoneor more of the terms discussed herein, nor is any special significanceto be placed upon whether or not a term is elaborated or discussedherein. Synonyms for certain terms are provided. A recital of one ormore synonyms does not exclude the use of other synonyms. The use ofexamples anywhere in this specification including examples of any termsdiscussed herein is illustrative only, and is not intended to furtherlimit the scope and meaning of the disclosure or of any exemplifiedterm. Likewise, the disclosure is not limited to various embodimentsgiven in this specification.

Without intent to further limit the scope of the disclosure, examples ofinstruments, apparatus, methods and their related results according tothe embodiments of the present disclosure are given below. Note thattitles or subtitles may be used in the examples for convenience of areader, which in no way should limit the scope of the disclosure. Unlessotherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein havethe same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in theart to which this disclosure pertains. In the case of conflict, thepresent document, including definitions will control.

Embodiments of the present disclosure include systems and methods forenabling a user to generate audio content over a network.

In one aspect, the present disclosure relates to using a network forgenerating audio and video content over a network.

In first creating an audio content, a request is sent by a user to startthe creation process. In one embodiment, a user is asked to upload apre-recorded audio content. In another embodiment, a user does not havea final audio content and the user is then prompted to create audiocontent.

The user must select from a list of compositions (e.g., pre-recordedbeats, rhythms, scores). The composition may be a retrieved from alibrary of compositions, provided (e.g., recorded) by another member onthe network. In one embodiment, the process of selecting a compositionallows the user to view a list of compositions and to preview the soundof each pre-recorded composition.

A feature of an embodiment enables a user to enter original lyrics foran audio content. In one embodiment, a lyric mechanism prompts the userto enter the text of the original lyrics in a query box. In anotherembodiment, song lyrics can be automatically generated by the lyricmechanism whereby the user provides one or more key words.

The voice recording may be audibly generated (e.g., sang) or generatedby a pre-recorded song or audio content. Audio recordings can beproduced by a user in the vicinity of an audio input device (e.g.,microphone) that is coupled to a computing device connected to anetwork. The audio content can be uploaded or recorded and can beinstrumental, electronic, rap, lyrical, chorus, acapella, etc. When theuser is ready to record, the user can, by the click of a button (e.g.,the ‘record button’) on the user interface, trigger a countdown to whenthe recording session will begin. The recording session may occur liveover the network once the countdown commences. The user can begin theaudio recording production process (e.g., sing, rap, talk, play aninstrument, play music, compose, direct a band, DJ, and/or otherwisegenerate any form of audio content) in the vicinity of an audio inputdevice (e.g., microphone coupled to the computing device). Theuser-generated and/or provided audio content can then be recorded overthe network in or near real-time.

The recording session of an audio or video recording, or a combinationthereof, can be initiated via the user interface, by clicking a buttonon the audio recorder/player for example. Before the recording sessionbegins, playback of an audio recording or a video recording is typicallystopped if playback is currently occurring. Once playback haspaused/stopped, the user is provided with a countdown indicator to theinitiation of the recording session. At the initiation of the recordingsession, the composition, prerecorded composition or video recording isplaying. When the recording session has ended (e.g., by user request),the recording user has the option of previewing the recorded content. Ifthe user recorded over a pre-recorded composition or pre-recorded videorecording, the user can listen to or view the results of the audio andvideo synchronization.

Once the user has completed the recording process, a preview of therecording (e.g., audio or video) can be played back to the user over thenetwork to the user. Typically, the recorded content is stored in abuffer (e.g., memory buffer) when being played for preview. The user canadjust the volume level of the recorded content based on the preview andthe user can apply a special sound effect to the audio or videorecorded. If and when the recording is satisfactory to the user, therecording can be permanently saved. If the user chooses to discard therecorded content, it can be deleted from memory. In some instances, theuser can choose to re-record the same content until satisfactory resultsare obtained.

The recording can be saved upon user request, for example, when the userdetermines that the recording is satisfactory. The user can make thecompleted product of the audio or video content accessible to otherusers via the network interface and provide comments and/or ratings.

In one aspect, the present disclosure relates to providing a mechanismfor users to access audio content and video contents of others and insome instances, use the work of others to generate collaborative contentvia a service site hosted by a web-portal. Because an audio content maybe the collaborative result of multiple member users over a network, theusers need not be physically proximal to one another to participate in amusical collaboration session. For example, an audio or video contentcan be a product of one member user providing an audio content andanother member user that user's audio content as a composition in hisown audio content. The audio or video content can also be a product of apre-recorded compositions and video recordings by other member users.

When a multi-media file is permanently saved upon user request, the usercan determine whether the work is accessible by other users. The usercan select the privacy attribute associated with the audio contentand/or video content. For example, the recording user can make therecorded content publicly accessible (e.g., can be aurally played byother members) or private (e.g., only visible to the user and/or canonly be played by the user).

Referring to the first figure, FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of thesystem 100, in accordance to one embodiment. There are client devices101, 102, 103 that serve as the interface to a user. A user may operatea computer, a server and/or any other device that is able to establish aconnection with another device, to access the embodiment. For example,the client devices and content providers can be, but are not limited to,a server desktop, a desktop computer, a computer cluster, a mobilecomputing device such as a notebook, a laptop computer, a handheldcomputer, a mobile phone, a smart phone, a PDA, a Blackberry device, aTreo, iPhone and/or an iPad, etc. The client devices 101-103 typicallyinclude a display or another output functionality to present dataexchanged between the devices to a user.

In one embodiment, an audio input device 104 is coupled to the clientdevice 101-103. The audio input device, such as microphone, 104 can be acomponent of the client device 101-103 or can be connected through wiredor wireless means to capture audio or voice content for uploading to theserver side 120.

In one embodiment, an imaging device or camera 105 (e.g., video camera,web-cam, video recorder) is also connected to the client device 101-103.The camera 105 can be an internal component of the client device 101-103or can be attached to the client device 101-103 using a wired orwireless means to capture video for uploading to the server side 120. Inone embodiment, the camera 105 is attached to the client device 101-103for use in the generation of video.

In one embodiment, the client devices 101-103 are coupled to anetwork110. The network, in the present example, is the internet. It isto be understood that this link 110 need not actually be the internet.Any small or large-scale network or other connection mechanism will do.So, in some embodiments, the client devices 101-103 may be directlyconnected to one another.

The network 110, over which the client devices 101-103 communicate, maybe a telephonic network, an open network, such as the Internet, or aprivate network, such as an intranet and/or the extranet. For example,the Internet can provide file transfer, remote log in, email, news, RSS,and other services through any known or convenient protocol, such as,but is not limited to the TCP/IP protocol, Open System Interconnections(OSI), FTP, UPnP, iSCSI, NSF, ISDN, PDH, RS-232, SDH, SONET, etc.

The network 110 can be any collection of distinct networks operatingwholly or partially in conjunction to provide connectivity to the clientdevices 101-103 and servers, and may appear as one or more networks tothe serviced systems and devices. In one embodiment, communications toand from the client devices 101-103 can be achieved by an open network,such as the Internet, or a private network, such as an intranet and/orthe extranet. In one embodiment, communications can be achieved by asecure communications protocol, such as secure sockets layer (SSL), ortransport layer security (TLS).

In addition, communications can be achieved via one or more wirelessnetworks, such as, but is not limited to, one or more of a Local AreaNetwork (LAN), Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), a Personal areanetwork (PAN), a Campus area network (CAN), a Metropolitan area network(MAN), a Wide area network (WAN), a Wireless wide area network (WWAN),Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Personal CommunicationsService (PCS), Digital Advanced Mobile Phone Service (D-Amps),Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Fixed Wireless Data, 2G, 2.5G, 3G networks, enhanceddata rates for GSM evolution (EDGE), General packet radio service(GPRS), enhanced GPRS, messaging protocols such as, TCPIIP, SMS, MMS,extensible messaging and presence protocol (XMPP), real time messagingprotocol (RTMP), instant messaging and presence protocol (IMPP), instantmessaging, USSD, IRC, or any other wireless data networks or messagingprotocols.

The client devices 101-103 can be coupled to the network 110 (e.g.,Internet) via a dial up connection, a digital subscriber loop (DSL,ADSL), cable modem, and/or other types of connection. Thus, the clientdevices 101-103 can communicate with remote servers (e.g., web server,host server, mail server, instant messaging server) on the server side120 that provides the user access to the World Wide Web via a webbrowser, for example.

Next, the server side 120 functionality is depicted. The server-side 120functionality may consist of a single hardware server, a plurality ofhardware servers in the same location, or a plurality of hardwareservers in different locations. There are numerous servers or programsrunning on the server-side 120 and these hardware servers may be capableof communication with each other.

Within the server-side, a host server 121 is depicted. The host serverfacilitates the generation of audio and video content over a network.The host server is used to respond to requests from a client device101-103 for web-pages. In response, the host server 121 providesinformation to the client device 101-103 and all other individuals withwhom the content is shared.

Also on the server-side 120 is a user database to keep track ofserver-side information such as usernames, passwords, XML files,statistics and project names. The user database 122 and content database125 can store software, descriptive data, images, system information,drivers, and/or any other data item utilized by parts of the host server121 for operation. The content database 125, in conjunction with theuser database 122, may also store user information and user content,such as, user profile information, subscription information, audiofiles, and/or data related to the user content (e.g., statistical data,file attributes, timing attributes, owner of the content, etc.). Theuser database 122 and content database 125 may be managed by a databasemanagement system (DBMS), including but not limited to, Oracle, 082,Microsoft Access, Microsoft SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MySQL, FileMaker,etc.

The databases 122, 125 can be implemented via object-oriented technologyand/or via text files, and can be managed by a distributed databasemanagement system, an object-oriented database management system(OODBMS) (e.g., ConceptBase, FastDB Main Memory Database ManagementSystem, JDOlnstruments, ObjectDB, etc.), an object-relational databasemanagement system (ORDBMS) (e.g., Informix, Openlink Virtuoso, VMDS,etc.), a file system, and/or any other convenient or known databasemanagement package.

The host server 121 is, in some embodiments, able to communicate withclient devices 101-103 via the network 110. In addition, the host server121 is able to retrieve data from the user database 122 and the contentdatabase 125. In some embodiments, the host server 121 is able tofacilitate the generation of audio and video content, multimedia-contentsharing over a network (e.g., the network 110) among various users ofthe client devices 101-103. The host server 121 can store multimediacontent to be provided to other users, for example, for on-demand audioand/or video playback and recording. For example, users can listen toaudio content or view video content shared by other users. Users canalso, in some embodiments, record voice or audio recordings overpre-recorded compositions comprising of beats or melodies—otherwiseknown as generating audio content. These compositions may be provided byother users stored on the host system over a network. These recordingsessions can be conducted in real-time or near real-time as the user isgenerating the audio or video content, for example.

In one embodiment, an audio and video processing server 126 is on theserver-side 120. This server 126 may, in fact, comprise of multipleservers, each dedicated to a particular format or file type. In oneembodiment, the audio and video processing server 126 is one server andprovides functionality capable of editing audio and video, such asautomatically creating transitional cross-fades between edits andperforming the edits or “recording” of the audio and/or video itself.Because all of the editing and storage takes place server side 120, theaudio and video processing server 126 is responsible for making theseedits as instructed by the user and storing the content.

In one embodiment, a video creation server 123 is on the server side.This server 123 is dedicated to accepting information such as mediafiles from a remote location that is intended to be stored as video andcan process a set of editing instructions on the media files. It isset-up in such a way as to automatically create a pre-determined sizeand type of video such that the video will be relatively high-qualityand yet have a small file size. In one embodiment, the video creationserver 123 encodes the video file to be streamable over a network. Thevideo creation server 123 can create a streamable media file that can beplayed with HTML5, Javascript or Flash, and thus can be played on avariety of client devices 101-103 such as the iPhone or iPad. In oneembodiment, this video creation server 124 creates Flash video contentthat is designed to be played on a Flash player and to be served by aFlash media server 124.

In one embodiment, the Flash media server 124 is on the server side 120and is responsible for serving Flash media to the user as he or shemoves through the audio and video content creation process. Additionallythe Flash media file server 124 is responsible for providing the Flashmedia to subsequent users once it has been published and/or shared. TheFlash media server 124 is capable of retrieving and displaying thestored video. The video can be stored on the user database 122, contentdatabase 125 or can also be stored on a large scale host server 127which provides large scale content-caching capability and ensurescontent is available quickly to an end-user.

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of a system of one or many serverdevices on the server-side to facilitate generation of audio and videocontent over a network. The server(s) 200 include/s a communicationsmodule 218 or a combination of communications modules communicativelycoupled to the network interface 202 to manage a one-way, two-way,and/or multi-way communication sessions over a plurality ofcommunications protocols. In one embodiment, the communications module218 receives data (e.g., audio recordings, video recordings, textualdata, audio content, video content, etc.), information, commands,requests (e.g., video, and/or audio-based), and/or text-based messagesover a network 110. In one embodiment, the communications module 218receives communications from a network 110 (e.g., Internet, wired and/orwireless network) initiated via a web-interface.

Since the communications module 218 is typically compatible withreceiving and/or interpreting data originating from variouscommunication protocols, the communications module 218 is able toestablish parallel and/or serial communication sessions with users ofremote client devices for data exchange (e.g., user information and/oruser content).

In addition, the communications module 218 can manage log-on requestsreceived from one or more users browsing the audio and/or video contentgenerator. In one embodiment, the communications module 218 is able toreceive and further manage/process receiving a request from a user togenerate audio and/or video content. A connection is typicallymaintained with a user device until the user leaves the site. In oneembodiment, when a user wishes to record an audio or video recording,the communications module 218 prompts the user for permission to accessperipheral devices (e.g., microphone, camera, webcam, camcorder, etc.)connected to the user device.

When the communications module 218 is able to access the microphone, theaudio detected by the microphone can be recorded over a network.Similarly, when the communications module 218 is able to access theimaging device (e.g., camera, webcam, camcorder), the audio detected bythe microphone can be recorded over a network. The communications module218, can include, one or more of, or any portion of the one or more ofthe above described functions, without deviating from the spirit of thenovel art of the disclosure.

One embodiment of the present disclosure includes a recording engine206. The recording engine 206 can be any combination of hardwarecomponents and/or software agents able to record multimedia (e.g.,audio, text, image, and/or video) content for example, over a networkconnection (e.g., Internet). The audio-based content maybeuser-generated (e.g., sang, spoken, played, etc.) content provided bythe recording user. The recording engine 206, can, for example,establish a connection with a user device through the communicationsmodule 218. Upon detection of an audio or a video input device (e.g.,microphone, camera, webcam, camcorder, transducer, sensor) coupled tothe user device, the recording engine 206 can record audio and/or videoinput (e.g., voice, speech, sound, dialogue, music, instruments music,rhythms, song, rap, melody, theatrical performance, movie, play, an act,a skit, etc.) detected by the audio and/or video input device.

In some instances, the recording engine 206 is able to receive userinputs and react in response to user inputs. For example, the recordingengine 206 detects that a user has requested a recording session (e.g.,requested via an audio/multimedia player/recorder) 222 and whether theuser interface is accessible. If not, the recording engine 206 canrequest the user for access to the input device.

Once the user requests to record an audio or a video recording, therecording engine 206 presents an indication of the initiation of therecording session. For example, the recording engine 206 can countdownto the initiation and present an indicator (e.g., visual and/or auralindicator) of the countdown status. When countdown ends, the recordingengine 206 begins to record audio and/or video detected from the audioand/or video input device. In one embodiment, the recording sessionbegins when the user generates the request without additional indicationprovided by the recording engine 206. During a recording session, therecording engine 206 can perform simultaneous aural playback of acomposition to the recording user during a recording session when therecording user has requested to record over the composition.

The recording engine 206 can also terminate the recording session. Insome embodiments, the recording engine 206 is coupled to a timer module210 to keep track of recording time, countdown time, and/or playingtime, etc. The timer module 210 may be internal to the recording engine206. In addition, the recording session can be terminated in response toreceiving a user request (e.g., by the click of a button on the userinterface).

The timer module 210 can be any combination of hardware componentsand/or software agents able to determine relative and/or absolute time.The timer module 210, in some embodiments, tracks the time elapsed. Inaddition, the timer module 210, in some embodiments, externally couplesto a time server (e.g., World Time Server, NTP time server, U.S. Timeserver, etc.) to keep track of time. The timer module 210 is, in someembodiments, accessible by the recording engine 206 and/or the editingmodule 208 to track recording time and/or playback time. In someinstances, elapsed time is usually displayed during audio and videorecordings.

One embodiment of the present disclosure includes a preview module 216.The preview module 216 can be any combination of hardware componentsand/or software agents able to perform playback of multimedia contentsuch as playback of recorded content and/or simultaneous playback ofmultiple pieces of multimedia content (e.g., audio, image, video, etc.).In some instances, the preview module 216 includes memory (e.g.,volatile and/or non-volatile) and/or storage unit (e.g., magnetic diskdrive, optical disk drive, etc.) for storing multimedia content (e.g.,audio, video, image or the like). In one embodiment, the preview module216 includes a memory buffer 214. Multimedia content stored in thepreview module 216 may be stored temporarily (e.g., in the memory buffer214) during preview and/or further until the user decides to save ordiscard the stored content. The stored content can include recorded oruploaded audio, image, and/or video content, for example.

The preview module 216 is also, in some embodiments, coupled to theaudio/multimedia content repository module 212 to access multimediacontent stored in the repository. The preview module 216 is, in someembodiments, able to receive, manage, and/or execute a request topreview a particular audio content, composition, or video content. Apreview typically occurs after a new recording or a new upload of acomposition, audio, or video recording. After the preview, the previewmodule 216 can discard or save the file based on user request. In someembodiments, a preview occurs for pre-recorded compositions whereby thecontent is previously created and was previously stored in theaudio/multimedia repository module 212.

In one embodiment, the preview module 216 provides a preview/auralplayback of an audio recording after the recording session has ended.The preview module 216 also enables a recording user to preview how thesynchronization of a composition and an audio recording would sound likewhen played together by performing simultaneous aural playback of theaudio recording and the composition (e.g., beat). Similarly, the previewmodule 216 could further enable a recording user to preview thesynchronization of audio content/recording along with a videorecording/content. The preview would thus allow the recording user todecide to save or discard the recorded content and re-record. Inaddition, the preview allows the user to make any adjustments to therecorded content (e.g., sound or imaging effects, fade-in, fade-out,frequency, timing, etc.). For example, the recording user can change theunderlying composition and/or the timing or latency adjustment (e.g., tothe beat) of the audio recording for the synchronization of thecomposition and audio recording.

One embodiment of the present disclosure includes a generation module220. The generation module 220 can be any combination of hardwarecomponents and/or software agents able to perform any additionalprocessing procedures. For example, when a user elects to synchronize anaudio and/or video recording to a composition or pre-recorded videorecording, the generation module 220 generates the synchronizedmultimedia file from a compilation of individual audio and video files.The synchronized multi-media content can be previewed by the user andsubsequently stored, for example, in the audio/multimedia repositorymodule 212 or any other memory storage unit. Prior to synchronizing, theuser can configure any settings that need to be performed in the processof editing, such as special effects or latency adjustments between theaudio/video recordings. In accordance to one embodiment, the audiocontent may be synchronized with video content from the audio/multimediaplayer/recorder module. The video content may be recorded or uploaded bythe same individual that provided the audio content, or it may be from adifferent user.

The editing module 208 is able to perform audio processing including butnot limited to noise reduction, fading-in, fading out, reverberation,etc. The editing module 208 can also perform video processing including,but not limited to, geometric conversions, color correction andsaturation, digital compositing, de-mosaicing, white balance, noisereduction, segmenting, auto-exposure adjustment, de-interlacing,anti-flicker correction, filtering, etc. The editing module 208 caninclude one or more of or any portion of the one or more of the abovedescribed functions, without deviating from the spirit of the novel artof the disclosure.

The server 200 in the example of FIG. 2, in accordance with oneembodiment, further includes the audio/multimedia content repositorymodule 212. The audio/multimedia repository module 212 can be anycombination of hardware modules and/or software agents able to store,playback, and/or read audio-based and other multimedia data and content,in a variety of formats, including, but not limited to, mp3, mp4, m4a,m4p, aac, wma, ra, way, ogg, flac, aiff, raw, aw, DVD, CD, Blu-Ray,HD-DVD, DTS-CD, SACO, etc. The audio/multimedia repository module 212can be, in some embodiments, accessible by the recording engine 206, theediting module 208, and the generation module 220. For example, audiocontent (e.g., pre-recorded audio compositions, beats, synthesized audiotracks, speech, voice, music, mixes, etc.) can be stored in theaudio/multimedia repository module 212 and accessed when the recordingengine 206 will record an audio or a video recording. Video content(e.g., pre-recorded video recordings, images, video recordings, etc.)also can be stored in the audio/multimedia repository module 212 andaccessed when an audio or video recording will be recorded by therecording engine 206.

Audio and video content stored in the audio/multimedia repository module212 typically include user content (e.g., user generated and/or userprovided audio/video/image content). For example, audio content caninclude but are not limited to, rhythms, melodies, vocal expressions(e.g., voice, speech, dialogue, sing, rap, etc.), beats, music,instrumental sounds, synthetic audio content, and/or any other type ofdigital and/or analog representations of sound. The audio/multimediarepository module 212 may further include digital signal processors(DSPs) that support generation of digital audio/video contentmodification and/or implementation of audio/video effects.

One embodiment of the present disclosure includes a user interfacemodule 204. The user interface module 204 can be any combination ofhardware components and/or software agents able to generate, modify,and/or adjust user interfaces suitable for receiving user input forquerying, multimedia content recording, multimedia content exchange,multimedia content playback, collecting favorite user creations, and/ortracking favorite multimedia creation.

In some embodiments, the user interface module 204 generates, providesor presents a user interface, for a user to access additional functionsand/or services such as audio/video browsing, audio/video sorting, andaudio/video organizing, etc. Examples of user interfaces provided by theuser interface module 214 and services accessible via the userinterfaces can be visualized with further reference to the examplescreenshots in FIGS. 3-18 and FIG. 20.

In one embodiment, the user interface module 204 identifies userrequests and displays a listing of audio content, compositions, beats,and/or video content. The user request can be generated by an actionindicating whether the user wishes to browse through audio content,compositions, beats, and/or video content, for example, via clicking onan associated tab. The user interfaces showing listings of audiocontent, compositions, and beats are illustrated with further referenceto FIGS. 3-5, respectively. The user interface module 204, in someinstances, provides additional information associated with each audiocontent, composition, and beat in the browsing interface. Additionalinformation can include creator, category, name, genre, and titleinformation, etc.

The user interface module 204, in some embodiments presents a page viewfor the selected listing, with further reference to FIG. 3-4, anddetects selection of an audio content, a composition, a beat, and/orvideo through the listing entries, with further reference to FIG. 5. Thepage view allows the user to further view detailed information regardingthe selected multimedia content. The page view may further allow theuser to request playback of the multimedia content. The user interfacemodule 204 can adjust the functions and services available through thepage view user interface, for example, dependent on whether the pageview is for audio content, a composition, a beat, or a video recording.

In one embodiment, the user interface module 214 can generate andprovide a page view in the user interface that includes a listing ofentries of a set of compositions representing a melody, rhythm, score,or set of beats. With reference to FIG. 4, the page view can organizethe compositions into categories. The page view can include a firstwindow for selecting to view a category comprising a first set ofcompositions in a genre and a second window for selecting a specificcomposition listing from a subset of the first set of compositions thatare a sub-category of the first category.

One embodiment of the user interface module 204 provides a userinterface with an audio/multimedia player/recorder (FIG. 8-15) tofacilitate multimedia content recording and playback over a network. Theuser interface can include a listing of selectable entries ofsynchronized multi-media content.

The audio/multimedia player/recorder 222 of the user interface module214 can also generate and provide, in the same or different userinterface, a play button for the playback of an audio recording orcomposition and/or a reverse/forward button for a user to change thetiming of an audio recording over a composition. The composition can bea beat and/or melody provided by the user or another user. Theaudio/multimedia player/recorder 222 can further include, for example, arecord button for initiating a recording session and a stop button forterminating the recordingsession.

The user interface module 214 can further provide a text box in theaudio/multimedia player/recorder to display or receive textual inputrepresenting a set of lyrics to be sung with the audio recording and aselectable button in the audio player/recorder for updating the lyricsin the text box.

In some embodiments, the user interface module 214 adjusts buttons onthe player according to the playback status of an audio recording, forexample, with further reference to FIG. 8. When no recording isoccurring, a play and/or record button can be displayed and areselectable. In addition, when a recording session has ended, forexample, a re-record button, review button, cancel button and/or a playbutton can be displayed, with further reference to FIG. 9.

In one embodiment, an instance of the audio player (or multi-mediaplayer) can be bookmarked, for example, using any conventional or knownwebsite or web-browser including but not limited to, one or more of,Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, AOL, Bookmarks, Ask MyStuff,Backflip, Blinklist, BlogMarks, delicio.us, Digg, Diigo, DropJack,Faves, Furl, Opera, Safari, Google Bookmarks, linkaGoGo, Live Favorites,My Yahoo!, Netvoiz, Newswine, Propeller, Reddit, Segnalo, Simpy, Spurl,StumbleUpon, Technorati, Twitter, and/or Yahoo! Bookmarks.

One embodiment of the present disclosure includes a sharing module 224.The sharing module 224 can be any combination of hardware componentsand/or software agents able to manage, track, modify, and/or enforce theprivacy attributes of audio content. The sharing module 218 may receivecommands related to privacy attributes of user content. The multimediacontent owner (e.g., recording user of an audio or video content, etc.)typically has the ability to set the privacy attributes of ownedcontent. The multimedia content may be shown on the user's publicprofile or kept as a private draft, etc., with further reference to FIG.15.

The server 200 can be implemented using one or more processing units,such as server computers, UNIX workstations, personal computers, and/orother types of computes and processing devices. In the example of FIG.2, the server 200 includes multiple components coupled to one anotherand each component is illustrated as being individual and distinct.However, in some embodiments, some or all of the components, and/or thefunctions represented by each of the components can be combined in anyconvenient and/or known manner. For example, the components of the hostserver may be implemented on a single computer, multiple computers,and/or in a distributed fashion.

Thus, the components of the server 200 are a functional unit that may bedivided over multiple servers, computers and/or processing units.Furthermore, the functions represented by the devices can be implementedindividually or in any combination thereof, in hardware, software, or acombination of hardware and software. Different and additional hardwaremodules and/or software agents may be included in the host server 200without deviating from the spirit of the disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example user interface of a listing ofpre-recorded audio content. The example user interface of a listing ofpre-recorded audio content allows a user to select audio content thatwas previously recorded by the user or another user. Each listing ofaudio content may detail additional information about the audio contentsuch as the title of the listing, the user whom created the listing, thenumber of audio content created by the user, and other descriptivedetails about the user. Further, the listing may allow a user to ratethe specific audio content or add to the audio content throughcollaboration. The user can organize the listing of content according tocertain parameters such as highest rating, newest song, newest user,oldest, or play count. In addition, a search query is provided wherein aname, username, song title can be entered and may be searched againstdefined criteria such as genres, email address, user ID, full name.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example user interface of a listing ofpre-recorded compositions. The example user interface 400 of a listingof pre-recorded compositions allows a user to select a particularcategory of compositions 401 and specific pre-recorded compositionentries 402. The listing includes multiple pre-recorded compositionsbased on the applied category (e.g., country, experimental hip hop, hiphop, etc.) selected. Each composition listing can include a display ofinformation related to the composition, including but not limited to,the name of the composition 404 and genre of the composition 405. A “MyFavorites” tab 403 is also selectable for a user to select pre-recordedcompositions saved or bookmarked from previous sessions.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example user interface previewing a pre-recordedcomposition by playing the selected item. In one embodiment, each entrylisting 501 of audio content is clickable by a user to request a previewof the composition associated with the entry listing. When the listing501 is clicked, the entry expands and more information is revealed. Theuser interface 500 also includes selectable tabs for users to adjust thevolume for the preview of the pre-recorded composition. Additionalinformation regarding the composition such as approval, comments, and/orratings can also be shown.

In one embodiment, each pre-recorded video recording includes a watchicon that is clickable by a user to request playback of the videoassociated with the entry listing. In general, the request to play apre-recorded video recording also plays the associated audio content(e.g., voice recording(s), composition(s), etc.).

FIG. 6 illustrates an example user interface to query a user to enterlyrics. User interface 600 is an example of a query for a user to enteroriginal lyrics of his/her creation. The query can show multiple queryfields which include, but is not limited to, the title of the song 601,the song lyrics 602, and lyrics as divided by the type of lyrics (e.g.,chorus, refrain, bridge, etc.).

In addition to the option to enter one's own original song lyrics, theuser interface 600 also includes selectable tabs for users to ad liblyrics 603 and save and record 604. As will be described later the adlib 603 option allows users can automatically generate song lyrics.Also, the save and record button 604 allows users to enter theiroriginal lyrics, save them for use later, and begin recording the audiorecording.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example user interface of a lyric generationprompt. The example user interface of user interface 700 includes textboxes, suitable for automatically generating lyrics by using textsubmitted by a user. Once a user has selected a pre-recordedcomposition, lyrics can be automatically generated upon a user's entryof a pre-defined category of words. In some embodiments, the query forautomatic lyrics generation asks the user to provide the following: acrush's name, a noun, an adverb, an adjective and a nickname.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example user interface having an audio/multimediaplayer/recorder for recording an audio or video recording. The userinterface 800 includes the audio/multimedia player/recorder 801 withselectable buttons for playing of a prerecorded composition 802 or videorecording and/or recording of an audio/video recording. For example, theuser can generate an audio recording (e.g., rap, sing, speak, and/or anyother form of vocalization) when the record button 804 is clicked. Oncethe record button is selected, a recording session generally begins withthe detection of the recording user's audio input device (e.g.,microphone). Once the input device is accessible, the user can click therecord button of the audio recorder/player (or multimediarecorder/player) to initiate a recording session over the pre-recordedbeat or any other selected multimedia content. The user can stop therecording anytime by clicking the record button of the audiorecorder/player.

The pre-recorded composition 802 may be played back during the recordingsession. A play button 805 is, in most instances, displayed whenplayback of audio or video is not occurring. The audio recorder/player801, in some embodiments, also displays the name of the pre-recordedcomposition 802, the audio recording that is being recorded 806, theoption to select an effect to apply to the audio recording 807, anadjustment of the volume of playback 803 and the option to add anotheraudio recording 809.

In some embodiments, the user interface 800 includes a song lyricdisplay 810 which displays the song lyrics previously entered from userinterface 700 and the option to modify the song lyric entry within thesame user interface 800. Other information also displayed to the userincludes the title of the song and the actual words of the lyrics tofacilitate the recording of the audio recording.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example user interface having an audiorecorder/player (or multimedia recorder/player) for the recording,playing, editing, and saving of an audio recording. Once the user hascompleted the recording process, a preview of the audio or videorecording can be played back over the network to the user. Typically,the recorded content is stored in a buffer (e.g., memory buffer) whenbeing played for preview.

In the embodiment wherein audio content is created, the user can adjustthe volume level of the recorded content based on the preview and theuser can apply a special sound effect to audio recorded. The user canalso layer or toggle multiple audio recordings by adding another audiorecording. If and when the recorded audio recording or video recordingis satisfactory to the user, the recording can be permanently saved. Ifthe user chooses to discard the recorded content, the recorded contentmay be deleted from memory. In some instances, the user can choose tore-record the same content until satisfactory results are obtained.

The user interface display 900 of audio recorder/player may be differentbefore recording, during the recording session, and after the recordingsession. The different user interface displays are illustrated withfurther reference to FIGS. 8, 9, 10, and FIG. 11. In one embodiment, theplayer/recorder includes a record button and a stop button. The recordbutton can be used by the recording user to generate an initiationrequest to start the recording session. The stop button can be used tostop playback of the multimedia content currently being played. Acountdown to the initiation of the recording session thus begins. Inmost instances, if the user is recording over a composition orpre-recorded video recording, the content is played at the initiation ofthe recording session. The initiation request to record or stop istypically generated by a single action (e.g., a click of the pointingdevice) on the record or stop button.

The audio/multimedia player/recorder may record without any audiocontent in the form of acapella. In one embodiment, during the recordingsession, the player/recorder may include a stop button, a previewbutton, an indicator of the recording status and a time indicator. Thestop button allows a user to generate a termination request to stop therecording session (e.g., by click of a pointing device on the stopbutton). In one embodiment, the preview button is activated and becomesselectable once the recording session has been stopped. The previewbutton, when selected, allows the user to listen or view a synchronizedresult of the audio and video content.

After the recording session, the user is presented with the options ofpreviewing the recording with the selected pre-recorded composition,recording the audio/video content, and/or saving the mixed multimediacontent. In one embodiment, when the user saves the recorded content andthe recorded content is published. The recording (e.g., audio content,video content) can be saved upon user request, for example, when theuser determines that the recording is satisfactory.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example user interface having an audio/multimediaplayer/recorder for the processing of an audio recording. The audiorecorder/player illustrates the capability of processing the audiorecording after recording and the application of, if any, specialeffects. The duration as well as the timing of the audio recording isdisplayed in the audio recorder/player, in reference to the pre-recordedcomposition.

FIG. 11 illustrates an example user interface having an audio/multimediaplayer/recorder for the recording of an additional audio recording. Inan embodiment, users have the option to add an additional audiorecording to the creation of an audio content. Furthermore, with theoption of selecting “add track,” a plurality of audio recordings can beadded beyond the second audio recording. The process of recording,processing, and applying an effect are identical the descriptions in theaforementioned paragraphs.

FIG. 12 illustrates an example user interface having an audio/multimediaplayer/recorder for the recording, playing, editing, and saving of anadditional audio recording. The audio recorder/player illustrates amodification of the second audio recording in a way that changes thestart of the second recording/track after the end of the firstrecording/track. Moreover, the second audio recording can still bereviewed, re-recorded, or deleted altogether.

FIG. 13 illustrates an example user interface having an audio/multimediaplayer/recorder in full-screen mode. In one embodiment, theaudio/multimedia player/recorder can be expanded to fill the entirescreen of any display peripheral (e.g., monitor on a computer).Likewise, all the functionality can exist for the full-screen version ofthe embodiment, in addition to the option to use headphones during theaudio content process.

FIG. 14 illustrates an example user interface having an audio/multimediaplayer/recorder to query the user in regards to publishing or continuingthe editing of an audio/video creation generated by a user.

After the completion of the editing, saving, and synchronizationfunctions, the audio recorder/player queries the user for aconfirmation. In one embodiment, the user can either publish theaudio/video content or continue the editing process. In this embodiment,all other options are disabled, except for two possible choices:continuing the modification process until the satisfaction of the useror sharing the audio contenton the network.

FIG. 15 illustrates an example user interface having an audio/multimediaplayer/recorder to provide aural playback of a song composition and tofacilitate multimedia content sharing. The graphical user interface 1500includes many selectable options related to providing an aural playbackof the song composition that has been synchronized and a volume controloption. Another selectable option in one embodiment is selecting theprivacy attributes of the audio content on the network. For example, thesong composition may be visible to the public or only visible to theowner. Additional privacy settings that specify rules governing otheruser's rights to comment, share, or rate it may be configurable by theuser as well. Users are also able to modify previously-entered queryfields such as titles and/or lyrics. Finally, users can enter newinformation regarding the audio content's description and associatedtags for ease of searching.

FIG. 16 illustrates an example user interface listing of audio contentsgenerated by a user that was previously recorded. The user interfaceprovides a listing of all completed audio content in the users account.The user has the option to return to the audio content and continue theediting of the audio content or delete the entry in its entirety. Otherinformation that is provided include the most recent date ofmodification, the category of pre-recorded composition, the number ofplays, the audio contents name and finally, aposting option.

In the example of FIG. 16, the “Post to Facebook” option is illustrated.It enables users to send an instance of the audio content to a Facebookaccount (e.g., to a friend or to him/herself). The instance of the audiocontent may then be accessed via a link in a Facebook message deliveredto a specified Facebook account. In another embodiment, an “embed”option may also be available to a user. The embed option allow users toembed the instance of the audio recorder/player in a site (e.g.,MySpace) such that the instance of the widget may be accessed via othersites for multimedia content (e.g., audio, video, etc.) playback orrecording purposes.

FIG. 17 illustrates an example user interface having a audio/multimediaplayer/recorder for recording a video recording. The screenshot in FIG.17 is an example user interface having a audio/multimediaplayer/recorder suitable for controlling audio/video playback .andrecording. The example user interface of screenshot 1700 illustrates theinterface while no audio content (e.g., pre-recorded composition, audiorecording, pre-recorded video recording) is being played.

FIG. 18 illustrates an example user interface for editing a videorecording. A video recording can be modified after recording. In oneembodiment, options to edit a video recording include: fading in, fadingout, resetting the position of a video recording, and superposition ofcomposite images to remove a background. Each listing can, in someinstances, include an icon uploaded by the artist.

FIG. 19 illustrates the queuing process for a video content inpreparation for publishing over a network. In one embodiment, the queueis one manner in which the present technology can handle a certainamount of simultaneous requests to publish. In accordance to thisembodiment, when a user requests the synchronization of the composition,audio recording(s), video recording(s), etc., a download request entersthe queue, along with editing instructions and user/content databasereferences. The user can actively check on the progress of thesynchronization. The individual components that comprise audio/videocontent are then processed, encoded, and made streamable over a networkfor publication. Upon completion of the encoding, the streaming file ismoved to a Flash media server coupled to a database and a slot in thequeue becomes available.

FIG. 20 illustrates an example user interface for the process of chromakey compositing for a video recording. A pre-recorded video recording isprovided to a user to utilize as a background during the videorecording. Modifications to the pre-recorded video recording includefiltering, color correction, color saturation, speed adjustment, etc. toadapt to a genre of a particular audio content. Upon detection of avideo input device (e.g., microphone, camera, webcam, camcorder,transducer, sensor) coupled to the user device, the input device canrecord an audio and/or video input (e.g., motion, voice, speech, sound,dialogue, music, instruments music, rhythms, song, rap, melody,theatrical performance, movie, play, an act, a skit, etc.) detected bythe video input device. In one embodiment, the user interface allows fora technique of compositing two frames together, wherein one image isselectively made transparent to reveal the other image, as well known inthe prior art. As a result, the principal subject is recorded against abackground of the pre-recorded video recording. The video recording canthen be synchronized with the audio content and video content to createa final product. In another embodiment, user movement can be detected bymeasuring an object or a change in speed in the camera's field of view,as well known in the prior art. The motion can be represented by atrailing light and thus incorporated into a pre-recorded videorecording.

FIG. 21 depicts a flow diagram illustrating an example process ofenabling a user to generate audio content over a network. In process2102, a user is presented with a plurality of compositions. Therequesting user may come across a composition to his/her liking whilebrowsing and listening to the plurality of compositions. Whileperforming playback of the composition, the user can select to record anaudio recording over the composition. In process 2104, a request isreceived from the user to add that specific composition. In process2106, a lyric using the text submitted by the user is presented and inprocess 2108, an audio recording generated by the user can be recorded,wherein the specific composition is playing during the recording of theaudio recording. Finally, in process 2110, the specific composition, thesong lyric, and the audio recording can be edited according to userinput. The resulting audio compilation can be previewed by the user andsaved.

FIG. 22 depicts a flow diagram illustrating an example process ofenabling a user to generate audio and video content over a network. Inprocess 2202, a first request is received from the user to add an audiocontent. The request is typically received over a network. In process2204, a second request from the user to add a video recording isreceived. In process 2206, a plurality of pre-recorded video recordingsis presented to the user. In process 2208, the video recording can berecorded, wherein the audio content is playing during the recording ofthe video recording. While recording, audio input into a microphone orweb-cam or other imaging device can be recorded in real-time. In process2210, the specific composition, the song lyric, and the audio recordingis edited according to user input.

FIG. 23 shows a diagrammatic representation of a machine in the exampleform of a computer system 2300 within which a set of instructions, forcausing the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologiesdiscussed herein, may be executed.

In alternative embodiments, the machine operates as a stand-alone deviceor may be connected (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a networkeddeployment, the machine may operate in the capacity of a server or aclient machine in a client-server network environment, or as a peermachine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment.

The machine may be a server computer, a client computer, a personalcomputer (PC), a tablet PC, a laptop computer, a set-top box (STB), apersonal digital assistant (PDA), a cellular telephone, an iPhone, aBlackberry, a processor, a telephone, a web appliance, a network router,switch or bridge, or any machine capable of executing a set ofinstructions (sequential or otherwise) that specify actions to be takenby that machine.

While the machine-readable medium or machine-readable storage medium isshown in an exemplary embodiment to be a single medium, the term“machine-readable medium” and “machine-readable storage medium” shouldbe taken to include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., acentralized or distributed database, and/or associated caches andservers) that store the one or more sets of instructions. The term“machine-readable medium” and “machine-readable storage medium” shallalso be taken to include any medium that is capable of storing, encodingor carrying a set of instructions for execution by the machine and thatcause the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies of thepresently disclosed technique and innovation.

In general, the routines executed to implement the embodiments of thedisclosure, may be implemented as part of an operating system or aspecific application, component, program, object, module or sequence ofinstructions referred to as “computer programs.” The computer programstypically comprise one or more instructions set at various times invarious memory and storage devices in a computer, and that, when readand executed by one or more processing units or processors in acomputer, cause the computer to perform operations to execute elementsinvolving the various aspects of the disclosure.

Moreover, while embodiments have been described in the context of fullyfunctioning computers and computer systems, those skilled in the artwill appreciate that the various embodiments are capable of beingdistributed as a program product in a variety of forms, and that thedisclosure applies equally regardless of the particular type of machineor computer-readable media used to actually effect the distribution.

Further examples of machine-readable storage media, machine-readablemedia, or computer-readable (storage) media include but are not limitedto recordable type media such as volatile and non-volatile memorydevices, floppy and other removable disks, hard disk drives, opticaldisks (e.g., Compact Disk Read-Only Memory (CD ROMS), Digital VersatileDisks, (DVDs), etc.), among others, and transmission type media such asdigital and analog communication links.

Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout thedescription and the claims, the words “comprise,” “comprising,” and thelike are to be construed in an inclusive sense, as opposed to anexclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in the sense of“including, but not limited to.” As used herein, the terms “connected,”“coupled,” or any variant thereof, means any connection or coupling,either direct or indirect, between two or more elements; the coupling ofconnection between the elements can be physical, logical, or acombination thereof.

Additionally, the words “herein,” “above,” “below,” and words of similarimport, when used in this application, shall refer to this applicationas a whole and not to any particular portions of this application. Wherethe context permits, words in the above Detailed Description using thesingular or plural number may also include the plural or singular numberrespectively. The word “or,” in reference to a list of two or moreitems, covers all of the following interpretations of the word: any ofthe items in the list, all of the items in the list, and any combinationof the items in the list.

The above detailed description of embodiments of the disclosure is notintended to be exhaustive or to limit the teachings to the precise formdisclosed above. While specific embodiments of, and examples for, thedisclosure are described above for illustrative purposes, variousequivalent modifications are possible within the scope of thedisclosure, as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize. Forexample, while processes or blocks are presented in a given order,alternative embodiments may perform routines having steps, or employsystems having blocks, in a different order, and some processes orblocks may be deleted, moved, added, subdivided, combined, and/ormodified to provide alternative or sub-combinations. Each of theseprocesses or blocks may be implemented in a variety of different ways.Also, while processes or blocks are at times shown as being performed inseries, these processes or blocks may instead be performed in parallel,or may be performed at different times. Further any specific numbersnoted herein are only examples; alternative implementations may employdiffering values or ranges.

The teachings of the disclosure provided herein can be applied to othersystems, not necessarily the system described above. The elements andacts of the various embodiments described above can be combined toprovide further embodiments.

Any patents and applications and other references noted above, includingany that may be listed in accompanying filing papers, are incorporatedherein by reference. Aspects of the disclosure can be modified, ifnecessary, to employ the systems, functions, and concepts of the variousreferences described above to provide yet further embodiments of thedisclosure.

These and other changes can be made to the disclosure in light of theabove Detailed Description. While the above description describescertain embodiments of the disclosure, and describes the best modecontemplated, no matter how detailed the above appears in text, theteachings can be practiced in many ways. Details of the system may varyconsiderably in its implementation details, while still beingencompassed by the subject matter disclosed herein. As noted above,particular terminology used when describing certain features or aspectsof the disclosure should not be taken to imply that the terminology isbeing redefined herein to be restricted to any specific characteristics,features, or aspects of the disclosure with which that terminology isassociated. In general, the terms used in the following claims shouldnot be construed to limit the disclosure to the specific embodimentsdisclosed in the specification, unless the above Detailed Descriptionsection explicitly defines such terms. Accordingly, the actual scope ofthe disclosure encompasses not only the disclosed embodiments, but alsoall equivalent ways of practicing or implementing the disclosure underthe claims.

While certain aspects of the disclosure are presented below in certainclaim forms, the inventors contemplate the various aspects of thedisclosure in any number of claim forms. For example, while only oneaspect of the disclosure is recited as a means-plus-function claim under35 U.S.C. § 112, ¶13, other aspects may likewise be embodied as ameans-plus-function claim, or in other forms, such as being embodied ina computer-readable medium. (Any claims intended to be treated under 35U.S.C. § 112, ¶13 will begin with the words “means for”.) Accordingly,the applicant reserves the right to add additional claims after filingthe application to pursue such additional claim forms for other aspectsof the disclosure.

Various examples of the invention will now be described. The followingdescription provides specific details for a thorough understanding andenabling description of these examples. One skilled in the relevant artwill understand, however, that the invention may be practiced withoutmany of these details. Likewise, one skilled in the relevant art willalso understand that the invention can include many other obviousfeatures not described in detail herein. Additionally, some well-knownstructures or functions may not be shown or described in detail below,so as to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the relevant description.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for generating and sharing audio/videocontent to a social network, comprising: initiating a content creationprocess in response to a request from a user; prompting the user torecord content; prompting the user to select an audio composition from alist of compositions retrieved from a host server; presenting the userwith a record button; presenting the user with a selection of visualmedia content, wherein upon selecting an instance of pre-existing visualmedia content from the selection, the user is presented with aninterface to selectively edit the instance of pre-existing visual mediacontent; providing simultaneous aural playback of the audio compositionduring a recording session, thereby permitting the user to hear thecomposition during the recording session; generating composited recordedcontent based on the recording session by compositing video capturedduring the recording session with the instance of pre-existing visualmedia content combined; displaying a preview of the composited recordedcontent to the user, wherein the preview of the composited recordedcontent enables the user to change the timing or latency of thecomposited recorded content relative to the selected audio composition;selecting a privacy attribute for the composited recorded content;receiving a request to publish the composited recorded content; inresponse to the request to publish, processing and encoding thecomposited recorded content to create a streamable video; and publishingthe streamable video by copying the streamable video to a media server.2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of terminating therecording session after a duration of time has elapsed.
 3. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the interface to selectively edit the pre-existingvisual media content comprises an interface to selectively remove anelement of the instance of pre-existing visual media content.
 4. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising the step of locally saving thestreamable video.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step ofgenerating the composited recorded content is executed by a clientdevice controlled by the user.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein theaudio composition comprises pre-recorded audio.
 7. The method of claim1, wherein the preview is stored in temporary memory and re-written tonon-transient memory upon receiving a save request from the user.
 8. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising the steps of: displaying acountdown to the recording session based on a user interaction with therecord button, wherein the recording session comprises video recording;and providing the user an indication of the initiation of the recordingsession after the countdown to the recording session has counted down.9. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating user-definedtags with the streamable video.
 10. A method for generating and sharingaudio/video content to a social network, comprising: initiating acontent creation process in response to a request from a user; promptingthe user to record content; prompting the user to select an audiocomposition from a list of compositions retrieved from a host server;presenting the user with a record button; displaying a countdown to arecording session based on a user interaction with the record button,wherein the recording session comprises video recording; providing theuser an indication of the initiation of the recording session after thecountdown to the recording session has counted down; providingsimultaneous aural playback of the audio composition during therecording session, thereby permitting the user to hear the compositionduring recording; generating composited recorded content based on therecording session by compositing video captured during the recordingsession with pre-existing visual media content ; displaying a preview ofthe composited recorded content to the user, wherein the preview of thecomposited recorded content enables the user to change the timing orlatency of the composited recorded content relative to the selectedaudio composition; selecting a privacy attribute for the compositedrecorded content; prompting the user to publish the composited recordedcontent; in response to a request to publish, processing and encodingindividual components of the composited recorded content to create astreamable video; and publishing the streamable video by copying thestreamable video to a media server, thereby sending the compositedrecorded content to the host server, wherein the host server isconfigured to store multimedia content to facilitate access to otherusers.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the preview is stored intemporary memory and re-written to non-transient memory upon receiving asave request from the user.
 12. The method of claim 10, wherein the stepof generating the composited recorded content is executed by a clientdevice controlled by the user.
 13. A method for generating and sharingaudio/video content to a social network, comprising: initiating acontent creation process in response to a request from a user; promptingthe user to record content; prompting the user to select an audiocomposition from a list of compositions retrieved from a host server;presenting the user with a record button; beginning a recording sessionbased on a user interaction with the record button, wherein therecording session comprises video recording; providing the user anindication of the initiation of the recording session; providingsimultaneous aural playback of the audio composition during therecording session, thereby permitting the user to hear the compositionduring recording; generating recorded content based on the recordingsession; displaying a preview of the recorded content to the user,wherein the preview of the recorded content enables the user to set animaging effect for the recorded content; selecting a privacy attributefor the recorded content; receiving a request to publish the recordedcontent; in response to the request to publish, processing and encodingthe recorded content to create a streamable video; and publishing thestreamable video by copying the streamable video to a media server,thereby facilitating access to the streamable video to other usersaccording to the selected privacy attribute.
 14. The method of claim 13,wherein the user setting an imaging effect for the recorded contentcomprises adding a fade-in effect.
 15. The method of claim 13, whereinthe user setting an imaging effect for the recorded content comprisesremoving a fade-in effect.
 16. The method of claim 13, wherein the usersetting an imaging effect for the recorded content comprises compositingthe recorded content with pre-existing visual media content.
 17. Themethod of claim 13, wherein the step of generating the recorded contentis executed by a client device controlled by the user.